DECATUR -- Decatur City Council had a full agenda on tap as it closed out 2015 in the final regular meeting on Dec. 14. Topping that agenda was a comprehensive review of the current 2015 city of Decatur budget.
Mayor Bob Tharp reviewed the expenditures and revenues of each city department for the previous eleven months of 2015. All departments, including police, fire, parks and recreation, administrative, street, and library used between 85 and 90 percent of the budget since Jan. The city expects to finish the year close to projections.
The council was presented with the proposed 2016 Decatur city budget. Tharp, the public works director and all the city's department heads met in an open session to create the proposed budget. The city is expected to receive revenues of $990,215 with expenditures of $990,215. The proposed expenditures and revenues for the water department are $3,781,200. The street department expenditures and revenues for 2016 are projected at $327,950. The council will review the entire budget and discuss it at the Jan. 11 meeting. A resolution to except the proposal will be drafted and a vote will be scheduled on the January agenda.
The proposed 2016 District Court of Benton County West budget was also considered by the council. The court system expenses are projected at $228,000, with judge and staff salaries of $133,000 expected to make up most of the expenses. The income for the court system is set at $228,000, with the Benton County Treasurer's office paying 50 percent, or $104,000. The city of Decatur's portion will be 13 percent or $27,040. Gravette and Gentry will each pick up 15 percent or $31,200, while Highfill will pay $14.560 and Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport will pay $5,000. The remaining parts of the budget will be paid through District Court cases and other income, of which Decatur will pay an additional $1,700 into the case portion of the budget. After a short review, the council voted to approve the District Court budget.
New cemetery rules, policies and restrictions were presented to the council by councilwomen Sandy Duncan. After a short question and answer period, the council approved the measures.
New rules include the following:
* Lot owners will be responsible for arranging the purchase, installation and maintenance of headstones with a monument company and monument maintenance is the responsibility of the lot owner and family.
* Arrangements for interment may be made with the city, normally with the assistance of the funeral service provider. The city of Decatur does not open or close graves, but the city will provide a list of qualified excavators in the local area upon request.
* Flowers and decorations should be placed on headstones, either in vases or as saddles on top of the stones, and these are not removed by cemetery staff unless they are worn and unsightly (no class containers are allowed).
* No enclosure or structure may be placed on or around any grave or lot. From the date of this policy, only headstones and foot stones are allowed on the grave site.
Complete policy changes are available at city hall upon request.
The city of Decatur has started the process of expanding its wastewater plant.
"We are blessed with great industrial and residential customers," Tharp said.
Councilwoman Linda Martin introduced the results of the Pre-engineering Committee's selection of McClelland Consulting Engineers and Crossland Heavy Contractors to build the expansion. The selection was approved by the council. Preliminary completion of the wastewater plant expansion is estimated in early 2017.
The Decatur wastewater treatment plant received news presented to the council by James Boston, the city's public works director, that the plant received the Northwest Arkansas District Small Wastewater Treatment Plant of the Year award in Fayetteville on Dec. 10.
Other council business included:
* A review of changes to the community-room rental policy. The council sent the measure back to the committee for additional changes.
* Approval of a new backhoe and excavator lease for the public works department.
The Decatur City Council meets on the second Monday of each month unless otherwise posted. The public is encouraged to attend. Citizens are allowed to bring concerns before the council during the first 30 minutes of each meeting. For more information, call 752-3912.
General News on 12/23/2015